Andrew Caulfield, March 18-Hoppertunity Perhaps this contributed to the exodus of young sires PEDIGREE INSIGHTS from Darley, which collectively underline the potential B Y A N D R E W C A U L F I E L D perils facing new stallions. Songster had to be returned to training after failing to REBEL S.-GII, $600,000, OPX, 3-15, 3yo, 1 1/16m, get his mares in foal, while Consolidator was sent to 1:43 4/5, wf. Florida, before ending up in the Philippines. Western 1--#@HOPPERTUNITY, 117, c, 3, by Any Given Saturday Australia was the original destination for Henny 1st Dam: Refugee (GSP, $114,070), by Hughes, who is now in Japan, whereas Offlee Wild, Unaccounted For 2nd Dam: Polish Maid, by Danzig Rockport Harbor and Any Given Saturday were all 3rd Dam: Davona Dale, by Best Turn moved to Pin Oak Lane Farm in Pennsylvania. Even ($300,000 yrl '12 KEESEP). O-Karl Watson, Michael and have spent time in Japan, Pegram & Paul Weitman; B-Betz/DJ Stable/Kidder/J leaving Bernardini and Discreet Cat as the only ones to Betz/Robenalt (KY); T-Bob Baffert; J-Mike Smith. have enjoyed an unbroken residence at Darley. $360,000. Lifetime Record: 4-2-0-0, $410,720. *1/2 Any Given Saturday=s transfer to Pennsylvania came to Executiveprivilege (First Samurai), MGISW, last fall, a few months after Pin Oak Lane had lost Ria $999,000; Profit (Not For Love), MSP, $180,285. Antonia=s sire Rockport Harbor to laminitis. Any Given Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Saturday had attracted only 49 mares in 2012 and 76 Nick Rating: A+. in 2013, these figures being in sharp contrast to his earlier years. His books stood at 144 mares at a fee of Click for the brisnet.com chart, the brisnet.com PPs or $40,000 in 2008, 132 at $30,000 in 2009, 123 at the free brisnet.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO. $25,000 in 2010 and 103 at $20,000 in 2011. By While not quite as dramatic as some of the 2013 his fee was down to $7,500 and his fee in his chariot-racing scenes in Ben Hur, there was plenty first season in Pennsylvania is a mere $5,000. happening from the entrance to the stretch in the GII The son of has 348 northern Rebel S. With more than one of the principals at fault, hemisphere foals of racing age, including 76 untried the stewards reached the sensible decision to allow the two-year-olds. He also has nearly 200 foals of racing result to stand. We are likely to learn more if the age in Australia, including 76 two-year-olds. By my Rebel=s first four return to Oaklawn for the GI Arkansas reckoning that=s around 370 foals aged three or over in Derby over an extra 110 yards, when the Rebel winner the two hemispheres but Hoppertunity is the first to Hoppertunity won=t enjoy the same 5lb weight advantage with runner-up Tapiture. However, the extra become a graded/group winner (if we leave out his yardage is likely to suit the courageous Hoppertunity, Panamanian Grade II winner Tomas Gabriel). who, incidentally, shares the same broodmare sire-- There is a good chance that we still haven=t seen the Unaccounted For--as last year=s Arkansas Derby winner, best of Hoppertunity. With only four starts under his Overanalyze. belt, he has comparatively few miles on the clock and Hoppertunity comes from the third crop by Any Given he also has a May 7 birthday. There=s also a good Saturday. This distinguished son of Distorted Humor chance he will improve over nine and ten furlongs, even developed into one of the main contenders for the though he is inbred 4x3 to Danzig (through his 2007 Breeders= Cup Classic at Monmouth Park daughters Danzig=s Beauty and Polish Maid). following a sequence of decisive victories in the Hoppertunity follows First Samurai=s high-class GII Dwyer S., GI Haskell Invitational and GII Brooklyn H. juvenile Executiveprivilege as the second Unfortunately he sank in the slop at Monmouth and was quickly retired. consecutive graded winner produced by Refugee. This In addition to being officially ranked inferior only to daughter of Unaccounted For was therefore well and Street Sense among the America 3-year-olds bought by Blandford Bloodstock when she was knocked of 2007, Any Given Saturday possessed some powerful down for $480,000 at Fasig-Tipton in November 2012. bloodlines which guaranteed that he would be much in Unusually, Refugee has been mated to a different demand as a stallion. His sire Distorted Humor was one stallion in each of her 11 years as a broodmare. She of only three stallions scheduled to stand the 2008 produced a Cowboy Cal colt (a three-parts brother to season at a fee of $300,000, another being Any Given Executiveprivilege) in 2013 before visiting War Front Saturday=s broodmare sire A.P. Indy. (who produces 2x3 inbreeding to Danzig). Any Given Saturday duly made his debut at Darley in Refugee was a talented performer, good enough to 2008, as part of a a 17-strong team at the finish third in the GII Orchid H. over a mile and a half. farm. No fewer than 10 of the stallions were standing their first, second or third season and it is interesting to Stamina clearly wasn=t a problem for her, as might be explore what the future held for this collection of expected of a filly of her pedigree. Unaccounted For unproven stallions. As Charlie Boden said in the TDN stayed a mile and a quarter, as he proved with his last week, breeders tended to move away from second to Cigar in the Jockey Club Gold Cup and his unproven stallions during the worst of the economic third behind the same champion in the Breeders= Cup downturn, so it was arguably even harder for a young Classic. stallion to make his mark. Refugee has a couple of outstandingly talented and tough racemares close up in her pedigree. Unaccounted For=s second dam Mrs Penny, who raced 22 times, was a champion at two and three in Europe, where she was a Group 1 winner over six, 10.5 and 12 furlongs. The other standout is Refugee=s second dam Davona Dale, who retired as a winner of 11 of her 18 starts. She took the 1979 Kentucky Oaks in addition to the NYRA Tripe Tiara, at a time when the CCA Oaks was over a mile and a half. Davona Dale was one of those top-notch racemares who was to prove less effective in the role of broodmare. However, she left daughters by Mr Prospector, Alydar, Danzig and Seattle Slew. Her Alydar filly Rita became the dam of Just A Cat (GII Cowdin S.) and now the Danzig filly, Polish Maid, is the second dam of Executiveprivilege and Hoppertunity. We therefore probably haven=t heard the last of Calumet=s champion daughter of Best Turn. Click here to share this story

HOPPERTUNITY, c, 2011 Mr. Prospector Distorted Humor File Danzig’s Beauty Danzig Any Given Sweetest Chant Saturday A.P. Indy Seattle Slew Weekend in Indy Weekend Surprise Whow Spectacular Bird Hooplah Private Account Damascus Unaccounted For Numbered Refugee Mrs. Jenny The Minstrel 13-3-1-2 Mrs. Penny 9Fls, 2GSW, Polish Maid Danzig Northern Dancer 3-1-0-0 Pas De Nom 9Fls, 1GSP Davona Dale Best Turn 12Fls, 1GSP Royal Entrance